Dangers Of Very Low-Fat Percentage

Women generally have a better percentage of body fat storage than men. And body fat percentage also increases with age. That’s why there are different ranges of fat percentages that are considered for men & women, depending on their age groups.

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The average healthy adult body fat range no matter age is 15 to twenty% for men and 20 to 25% for ladies. A girl with greater than 32% body fat and males with greater than 25% body fat are considered to be at increased risk for disease.

The research also states that, trained athletes are likely to be on the low end of this scale resulting from their increased lean weight (muscle mass) in comparison with untrained individuals. While low levels of body fat appear to be related to improved performance, body composition alone is just not a fantastic predictor of sports success. There is little evidence of any health profit when men drop under 8% and girls drop under 14% body fat.

The way excess fat percentage poses health & disease risk, same is the case with very low fat percentage. You need a certain quantity of fat for the body to operate normally and remain healthy.

Body fat percentage measurements calculate total body fat. This total body fat will be split into the next 2 categories:

• Storage Fat – This consists mainly of fat deposited just below the skin or subcutaneous fat. Storage fat for men and girls is fairly similar. For the typical man 12% of body weight is storage fat and for the typical woman 15% of body weight is storage fat.

• Essential Body Fat – Essential fat is the quantity of fat essential for maintenance of life and reproductive functions. It acts like energy reserve, help conserve body heat, and protect the inner organs & joints from injury. For women the typical amount of essential fat is 13% of body weight and for men it’s 3% (in some studies it is recommended 4-6%).

Very low body fat percentages can lead to numerous health complications like Nutritional deficiencies & Electrolyte imbalance, which might cause:

1. Heart complications – a study which tracked a drug-free male bodybuilder (age 26-27y) for the 6 months before and after a contest, found that his:

• Heart rate decreased from 53 to 27 beats/min during preparation and increased to 46 beats/min inside 1 month after competition.
• Blood pressure dropped from 132/69 to 104/56 mmHg during preparation and returned to 116/64 mmHg at 6 months after competition.
• Percent body fat declined from 14.8% to 4.5% during preparation and returned to 14.6% during recovery.

2. Heart rate decreased from 53 to 27 beats/min during preparation and increased to 46 beats/min inside 1 month after competition. Blood pressure dropped from 132/69 to 104/56 mmHg during preparation and returned to 116/64 mmHg at 6 months after competition. Percent body fat declined from 14.8% to 4.5% during preparation and returned to 14.6% during recovery.

3. Mood fluctuations – in fact when the general energy levels dip, the mood changes will occur. In the above study, total mood disturbance increased from 6 to 43 units during preparation and recovered to 4 units 6 months after competition.

4. Low Libido – the above study also found that the testosterone levels of the bodybuilder during competition declined from 9.22 to 2.27ng/mL during preparation and returned back to the baseline level, 9.91ng/mL, after competition.

5. Strength level plummets – the above study showed that, within the tested bodybuilder, the strength decreased during preparation and didn’t fully get well during 6 months of recovery.

6. Multiple dietary deficiencies – as many vitamins and minerals need fat for correct absorption within the body. To maintain a low fat percentage, in fact the fat intake can be too low, which can result in deficiencies in vitamins like A, D, E & K, which have their very own respective complications. Night blindness, swollen gums, slow wound healing, muscle pain, loose teeth etc. are only a number of the issues.

7. Bone Loss – low levels of body fat percentage reduces the body’s absorption of vital vitamins and minerals like calcium and vitamin D.

8. Fertility issues – women need way more fat than men, for child bearing. And a women needs adequate amount of fat within the body to extend fertility rates, and in case the fat percentage goes low, then it becomes even difficult to sustain the pregnancy. Acc. to a studya minimum ratio of fat to lean mass is generally essential for menarche (app. 17% fat/body wt) and the upkeep of female reproductive ability (app. 22% fat/body wt).

9. Female Athlete Triad (FAT) – female athletes who need to keep up very low fat percentage, like fitness models, bodybuilders etc. experience a disorder called FATresulting in 1) low energy availability with or without disordered eating 2) menstrual irregularities or amenorrhea and three) low bone mineral density.

10. Skin & Hair problems – fat forms a necessary a part of your skin structure and helps your skin maintain its moisture barrier. Very low fat intake of going very low on fat percentage, can result in skin issues like dermatitis, which is shown as dry and scaly rashes on the skin.

Studies have shown that, deficiency of the polyunsaturated essential fatty acids linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3 fatty acid), can result in lack of scalp hair and eyebrows in addition to lightening of hair. The study also showed the advantages of varied fat soluble vitamins like A, E, & D on hair loss.

11. Low immunity & Frequent illness – a study found that, trained runners who severely limit the quantity of fat of their diets could also be suppressing their immune system and increasing their susceptibility to infections and inflammation.

Researchers found that, natural killer cells, a style of leukocyte and one in all the body’s defence mechanisms marshalled to fight infection, were greater than doubled in runners after the high-fat weight loss plan, in comparison with the low-fat regimen. Levels of PGE2, inflammation-causing prostaglandins, increased after the endurance test and were higher when the runners were on the low-fat weight loss plan.